Happy Saturday!! We've had a busy few days this week, and I'm glad to be relaxing at home for a while. Yesterday Kevin and I went to visit with one of my clients in Glen Rose and then had a coaches party to go to all evening (and some of this morning!). We had a great time visiting with everyone and I'm SO looking forward to getting a taste of being a "coaches wife" this fall. It's sure to be an interesting 3 months up until the wedding!
The wedding is just over 3 months away!! I can't even believe it. We are down to the final decisions and all of the fun stuff is just around the corner!
In a previous post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). For those of you who have started, keep it up!! And those of you who need to, I urge you to consider going through your own Total Money Makeover! It is LIFE-CHANGING!! We've been at this since mid-January and every month...really every day...just blows my mind at how much peace this has created in our life (The only peaceful thing at this point)!
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #2
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) PAID OFF in March 2011
Capital One CC: ($466) PAID OFF in April 2011
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,195)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,392)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,156)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($1,870)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,521)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($6,199)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($12,000)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,132)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($15,998)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($65,185) = Total Paid Off: $7,731 (SERIOUSLY Y'ALL!!!)
So to recap, in only 7 months we have saved more than $4,000 AND paid off almost $8,000 of our debt AND we still have money in our account AND AND all of our bills are being paid. Let me tell you, I'm a numbers person, and I just don't get these numbers and how it's working out but IT IS!!
Have a great week you guys!! I have a good friend who is about to start FPU classes with her husband. I URGE you to sign up, it's super easy to find a class being offered through Dave's site.
Yay, it's the weekend!! Kevin and I are cleaning and laundry-ing it up today, but I thought I could take a quick minute to give you guys our June Update for FPU!!
We saw Harry Potter yesterday (nerd alert) and loved it! We used some of our "fun" money envelope to go see it and even splurge on a coke and popcorn. Haha, party animals!! The wedding is less than 4 months away!! I can't even believe it. Where it will be bittersweet to be over and done with the wedding, we are beyond excited to finally be able to get back to plowing through our debt like we were in the first few months! I've been listening to Dave Ramsey podcasts, and his daily show for extra inspiration and motivation to just keep my head down and keep moving forward. There are tons of great info on his website and you can listen to a bunch of previous shows, just click here.
In a previous post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). For those of you who have started, keep it up!! And those of you who need to, I urge you to consider going through your own Total Money Makeover! It is LIFE-CHANGING!! We've been at this since mid-January and every month...really every day...just blows my mind at how much peace this has created in our life (The only peaceful thing at this point)!
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #2
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) PAID OFF in March 2011
Capital One CC: ($466) PAID OFF in April 2011
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,208)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,406)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,221)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($2,120)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,556)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($6,368)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($12,315)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,167)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($16,152)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($66,235) = Total Paid Off: $6,681 (SERIOUSLY Y'ALL!!!)
So to recap, in only 6 months we have saved more than $4,000 AND paid off over $4,500 of our debt AND we still have money in our account AND AND all of our bills are being paid. Let me tell you, I'm a numbers person, and I just don't get these numbers and how it's working out but IT IS!!
Have a great week you guys!! I still really want to get a wedding post up for you guys, I'll try this week! Lot's going on and lots of planning so I want to share soon :)
Happy Wednesday Friends!
We are moving along, definitely in a fast paced world these days. The wedding is less than 5 months away!!
I still haven't figured out how people do everything they plan on doing with only 24 hours in a day. We need to work full time, clean the house, do all the laundry, cook dinners every night, work out multiple times a week, study for various certifications, plan a wedding AND spend quality time with my one and only?? How people, how? Is there some Harry Potter time-turner or some other secret that people aren't letting me in on...help a friend out here!
In a previous post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). For those of you who have started, keep it up!! And those of you who need to, I urge you to consider going through your own Total Money Makeover! It is LIFE-CHANGING!! We've been at this since mid-January and every month...really every day...just blows my mind at how much peace this has created in our life (The only peaceful thing at this point)!
This has been the first month were the reality of our new "lifestyle" choice has caused tension with some of our family and friends. When you are so passionate about something, like we are with FPU, you want to share it with the world and you want the world to understand...especially your close family and friends. In the book, TMM, you will definitely read about the push-back you will receive, the criticism and people teasing you for being "weird" and "different", but he encourages you in saying this means you are doing something RIGHT!!
We want to live like no one else, so later we can LIVE like no one else!!
Some words of wisdom from Dave Ramsey that has helped create a sense of calm this month:Debt is the most aggressively marketed product in America today. More money, sophistication, and repetition. To "Act your Wage" requires using the word NO.
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #2
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) PAID OFF in March 2011
Capital One CC: ($466) PAID OFF in April 2011
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,289)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,421)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,288)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($2,370)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,598)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($6,537)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($12,635)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,202)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($16,303)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($67,365) = Total Paid Off: $5,551 (SERIOUSLY Y'ALL!!!)
So to recap, in only 5 months we have saved more than $1,250 AND paid off over $4,500 of our debt AND we still have money in our account AND AND all of our bills are being paid. Let me tell you, I'm a numbers person, and I just don't get these numbers and how it's working out but IT IS!!
Have a great week you guys!! I will try to work on a wedding planning recap soon, hopefully this weekend!
Hello all! Sorry that I've been MIA for a few weeks. I'm sure the hardest part for every new blogger is keeping up with doing posts every couple of days to make sure you guys are not left wondering where we ran off to, so I apologize. Already another month has gone by and it's that time again for another FPU Update. Enjoy!
I want to reiterate to you all that Financial Peace and being debt free does NOT mean that you never get to do anything you enjoy. Nowhere have I read that you can't go out to eat, can't enjoy life, etc....the lesson is just that you have to PLAN for those things. Don't get me wrong, we don't have an envelope with $1,000 just for shopping (although I'd be ok with it), let's get real here, but we have dedicated money for "Fun" and do save up for bigger fun things we would like to do. Please don't hesitate to begin this process on the basis that you feel you have to be in debt to enjoy life. This is FALSE!! (See more elaboration on this FALSE sense of reality on my good friend, Rachel's blog)
For those of you who have started, keep it up!! And those of you who need to, I urge you to consider going through your own Total Money Makeover! It is LIFE-CHANGING!!
In a previous post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). Kevin and I are staying motivated and are so excited because we are seeing real results already! I've already received feedback from multiple people who are inspired and already starting your personal journey, and I am so EXCITED for you guys!! I can't wait to hear ya'lls success stories as well.
I can't believe it's already been 4 months since we started this journey. It seems like yesterday we had those miniscule 50 cents in savings and were lost every other week on how to make it to the next paycheck. Those are definitely no longer the days we are in and we could not be more thrilled with how amazing it's going!!
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #2
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) PAID OFF in March 2011
Capital One CC: ($466) PAID OFF in April 2011
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,233)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,487)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,356)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($2,620)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,633)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($6,703)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($12,952)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,237)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($16,456)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($68,399) = Total Paid Off: $4,517 (WHAT!!!)
So to recap, in only 4 months we have saved more than $1,250 AND paid off over $4,500 of our debt AND we still have money in our account AND AND all of our bills are being paid. Let me tell you, I'm a numbers person, and I just don't get these numbers and how it's working out but IT IS!!
Now, for those of you who've made it this far along in my post, I want to say THANK YOU! Also, I'll confess something to you. This is our last month for a while that we will be posting numbers like we have been. We will definitely still be paying down on our debt, but not at the rate we have been since the beginning. Through much thought and discussions between ourselves and with our close friends, Kevin and I have decided to put our monthly snowball (starting in May) towards our honeymoon instead of debt. It was a tough decision and I want to be honest with you guys because I think it can help those of you who are still hesitating (crazies!). This process is not easy, and that's why I love Dave's quote he has throughout his book..."There are NO shortcuts to any place worth going!". It is definitely somewhat discouraging to know that we won't be seeing these numbers for awhile, but we are confident that this is the right choice. What's the point in paying down all this debt just to go back into it when we go on the honeymoon that we are not willing to pass up (once in a lifetime people...and we've waited a long time!!). We think it will feel AMAZING to be able to go on the honeymoon we've dreamed of and knowing we get to do it without adding ANY debt to our name in the process!!
Have a great week you guys!! I will try to work on a wedding planning recap soon, hopefully this weekend!
I am so crazy excited with wedding stuff right now!! So excited I can't even stand it.
Just sent out our Save-the-Dates so it's official!! Eeeeek
Here's a sneak peek of how it looks :)
Happy Saturday everyone!
After a long week, I just started the weekend off right with a little "Saturday morning Boot Camp in the Park"! Definitely tough, but it's a fun group of girls so I'm looking forward to it every weekend now :)
Over this last week, we received our edited pictures from our proposal session by the A-M-A-Zing Amanda Marie. Now that I have some pictures to share with you, we can back track some and I can share the story of how Kevin and I got engaged.
Date: March 21st, 2011
Just as some background, probably since last summer, I've been in LOVE with Amanda's work. If you enjoy photography at all, I recommend following her blog or "liking" her on Facebook. Not only is she a fabulous photographer, but she is one heck of an awesome gal! She goes beyond your traditional photos and creates true artwork for you to display in your home! So, with that being said, Kevin is well aware of my obsession with Amanda, and as a birthday gift to me, he scheduled a photo session for us to have with her (and in almost SEVEN years, this is our FIRST professional photo session ever!)
So, we met up with Amanda in Fort Worth to begin our session. I planned well in advance, had all our outfits (and my shoes!!) ready to go and we set out on our multiple location shoot around the Trinity Park area close to downtown. Here are some of my favorites from the day...
We came upon our last location, I did my final touch ups with my hair and makeup, etc. I was 100% focused on rocking it out to have a great finish to our photo session. Well...turns out, Kevin had called Miss Amanda Marie a few days before our shoot to let her know he had a few plans of his own for our session. Kevin and Amanda coordinated together for our last location to be "The Location" for this perfectly planned proposal.
We were in an alley (Haha, yes, I got engaged in an alley...a pretty one!), Amanda had me face her and told Kevin to get behind me. I NEVER thought anything of it, a photographer asks you to do certain things, you just do it. She had me totally working it out and posing for the camera.
After a few shots, and giving Kevin his time to get set, she said, "Ok, now turn around and face Kevin", and when I did....!!!
Total, I mean TOTAL shock!!! I think I stood in place this far away from here for what felt like a few minutes just repeating "are you for real?..is this for real?"...Kevin said "Yes, this is for real" and asked me to "come closer".
He said the most amazing words, and with so much love, asked "Will you marry me?" I said "YES!!!" and it was so surreal, I just couldn't even believe what was going on. The whole time, Amanda just circled us getting perfect shots of the whole event.
It was PERFECT!
After letting in sink in, and getting some more pictures, we left our session and headed down to my grandparents house to share the good news. Well...Kevin, again, had one last trick up his sleeve, and when we pulled up to their house, cars were everywhere! Both sides of our family and some of our closest friends were all there waiting to congratulate us. They knew the WHOLE time and somehow, no one spilled the big secret. Perfect, perfect, perfect!! I couldn't have imagined it any better than this. I'm one HAPPY GIRL <3 (Kevin's pretty excited too!)
**All photos in this post were taken by Amanda Marie Portraits (told you she was amazing!)**
Yesterday turned out to be a pretty long, but very exciting day!
We had meeting with three different venues spread out throughout the day and THEN after all that, Kevin and I went to the Palladium in Dallas to see one of our favorite bands, Coheed&Cambria.
For our venue, Kevin and I really wanted to have our ceremony and reception in the same venue to avoid having to require our guests to travel and felt that it would just break up the flow of the whole event. We also really wanted it either in a hotel, or within walking distance of a hotel, in order to accommodate our out-of-town guests and anyone else that may decide to stay at the venue overnight.
It proved to be a pretty hectic task, as I'm sure any of you who have planned a wedding know. This is obviously the biggest part of our decisions because without a venue (and the right one) we have nothing else. I am a huge component of The Knot. They have such valuable information and tips and offer so many convenient things like a budgeting tool, checklist (hello!), guest list manager, you can set up your wedding website, even send Save-the-Dates through your website. With our criteria, we weren't really able to utilize most of the local venues that were on their lists, but I emailed a few. Knowing we really wanted a hotel, it pretty much just came down to me searching Yahoo! Local and individually emailing every hotel asking some of our specifics.
We had it narrowed down to our top 4 venues and we set out Saturday morning with high hopes. The first two were "ok" but when we walked out of the third meeting, Kevin and I, along with both of my parents all looked at eachother and pretty much simultaneously said "No Question!!"
I'm so thankful that we had no hesitation (I even called to cancel our 4th appt) and now are feeling the "real-ness" of the fact that we are really getting married!!
So, it's official, Kevin and I will be getting married on 11/11/11 in Downtown Fort Worth <3
Next, on to the Photographer and DJ!
Happy Sunday everyone :)
This has been one CRAZY week! We had a photo shoot with Amanda Marie on Monday, and to my complete surprise, Kevin proposed during our session. It was perfect! This is the first picture we have from our special day and I can't WAIT to see the rest. I will share the full story when I have all the pictures to go along with it.
Since the proposal it has been a whirlwind of fun. We are so excited to share this time with our wonderful family and friends!
My thinking is that it will be crazy and somewhat stressful and rushed here at first because we are wanting to have our wedding in early November, so the countdown is on to 1. nail down our budget and 2. find our location. Our goal is to have our final budget numbers by next weekend and in the meantime I've been sending out inquiries for a bunch of locations.
I'm not too picky on the venue, our only criteria is a) we want a venue that will hold our ceremony AND reception. We don't want anyone to have to go to multiple places and b) our venue has to either be IN a hotel or within walking distance of a hotel.
Do you have any suggestions for me? Weddings you've been to, where you had your own, how to find them, etc?
In a previous post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). Kevin and I are staying motivated and are so excited because we are seeing real results already! I've already received feedback from multiple people who are inspired and already starting your personal journey, and I am so EXCITED for you guys!! I can't wait to hear ya'lls success stories as well.
Like I said, we are already seeing real results and it's only been 2 1/2 months!! Here's where we stand at the end of March...
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #2
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) PAID OFF in March 2011
Capital One CC: ($466) --- ($134)
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,285)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,439)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,427)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($2,870)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,682)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($6,869)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($13,581)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,272)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($16,763)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($70,044) = Total Paid Off: $2,872 (WHAT!!!)
So to recap, in only 2 1/2 months we have saved $1,250 AND paid off almost $3,000 of our debt AND we still have money in our account. Let me tell you, I'm a numbers person, and I just don't get these numbers and how it's working out but IT IS!!
For those of you who have started, keep it up!! And those of you who need to, I urge you to consider going through your own Total Money Makeover! It is LIFE-CHANGING!!
Happy Sunday to all of you :)
In my last post I laid out the foundation for a Total Money Makeover (TMM). Kevin and I are working hard to achieve full on Financial Freedom! We are so excited with how much has changed since we began this process. Here's what we've accomplished so far:
7 Baby Steps:
Baby Step #1 - $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund (Feb 2011)
Baby Step #2 - Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
Baby Step #3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Baby Step #4 - Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Baby Step #5 - College funding for children
Baby Step #6 - Pay off home early
Baby Step #7 - Build wealth and give!
Baby Step #1
We scraped everything we could to get this step accomplished. Your goal is to get this completed ASAP so you can move on to the Debt Snowball and start gaining the Gazelle Intensity...trust me, you'll catch on ;) ...I am not exaggerating one tiny bit when I say we started at ground zero. On January 18th, 2011 we had $0.55 in savings. I repeat, $0.55...Here's how we got our $1,000.
$277 - My Bday money received from generous family!
$60 - Returned two shirts to Dillard's that I bought for New Year's and never wore
$173 - Expense report check I received from work
$75 - Sold my textbook for the class I just finished, Fraud Auditing
$261 - Items sold on eBay (a digital camera, unopened NutriSystem food, some collectible figurines I had, and some of Kevin's sports cards)
$53 - Leftover money from my tax return
$123 - "Extra" money from our paychecks that I under-budgeted for
$227 - Debt Snowball
I know this equals more than $1,000 (give me a little credit here), it actually equals $1,250. Kevin booked me a photography session with Amanda Marie Portraits for my birthday and we decided to save extra to cover that expense instead of giving it up.
When we started Baby Step #1, we thought there was no way this would happen soon, maybe 2-3 months, but people LISTEN UP! Completing this step took us only 1 month (38 days to be exact). YOU can do this too!!
Baby Step #2
Pay off all debt (except the house). Ha! Not even possible. Well, I was wrong. This step is probably the hardest, and it's longer term (Dave Ramsey says the average household should complete this step in 18-20 months). Basically, you list your debts in order from smallest to largest...SMALLEST to LARGEST and you pay only the minimum payments on each so you have the rest to "Snowball" to your smallest balance. You will see results along the way which will help keep you motivated.
OUR DEBT
Name of Card (Beginning Balance) (Current Balance)
Victoria's Secret CC: ($103) PAID OFF in February 2011
New York & Co CC: ($205) --- ($190)
Capital One CC: ($466) --- ($444)
Chase CC: ($1,314) --- ($1,301)
Wells Fargo CC: ($1,469) --- ($1,475)
JCPenney CC: ($2,523) --- ($2,499)
Granny: ($3,620) --- ($3,470)
1st Financial CC: ($9,697) --- ($9,710)
Kevin's Truck: ($7,196) --- ($7,033)
Tia's Car: ($14,200) --- ($13,894)
Tia's Student Loan #1: ($1,341) --- ($1,307)
Kevin's Student Loan #1: ($1,448) --- ($1,448)
Kevin's Student Loan #2: ($12,274) --- ($12,274)
Tia's Student Loan #2: ($17,060) --- ($16,911)
TOTAL DEBT: ($72,916) --- ($71,956) = Total Paid Off: $960
**We decided to order ours from smallest to largest in 3 categories: Credit Cards, Vehicles, then Student Loans. The ONLY reason we've done this is because our goal is to be in a position to build a house next fall and we need to be credit card debt free first and foremost.
So to recap, in only 1 1/2 months we have saved $1,250 AND paid off almost $1,000 of our debt AND we still have money somehow :) I will be keeping you guys updated monthly and I hope to hear your success stories as well!
THIS WORKS, AND YOU CAN DO IT TOO!! Are you up for the challenge??
